In the manufacture of thick noodles used in cooking Lao-mien and other, dishes various inconveniences as set forth below occur. Examples of such thick noodles are Udon (Japanese noodle) and spaghetti.
1. The thickness of the noodle is in direct proportion to the time required to gelatinize the noodle to its center, that is, the thicker the noodle, the longer is the required gelatinizing time, and the more difficult it is to obtain uniformly gelatinized noodles.
2. When boiling noodles, the thicker the noodle, the greater the cooking time.
3. In dried noodles or instant Lao-miens, it is difficult to maintain uniform porosity in their structure because the noodles take a long time to dry or fry.
4. In fried noodles, the noodle is treated rapidly at high temperature for frying. When the noodle is thin, water and gas in the noodle is easily vaporized and released because the ratio of the surface area to the volume is large. When the noodle is thick, the ratio is reduced. Additionally, with the hindrance of the gelatinized starch layer in the surface of the noodle, water and gas in the noodle are vaporized and released only with difficulty and easily builds up foam. The resulting noodles have a rough surface, bad appearance, and unpalatability.